ABOUT All of Us
Too often, health care is one size fits all. Treatments meant for the “average” patient may not work well for individual people. Health care providers may find it difficult to coordinate care among specialists or to access all of a patient’s health information. Researchers may spend lots of time and resources creating new databases for every study.
All of Us is working to improve health care through research. Unlike research studies that focus on one disease or group of people, All of Us is building a diverse database that can inform thousands of studies on a variety of health conditions. This creates more opportunities to:
- Know the risk factors for certain diseases
- Figure out which treatments work best for people of different backgrounds
- Connect people with the right clinical studies for their needs
- Learn how technologies can help us take steps to be healthier
PRECISION MEDICINE
The National Institutes of Health formed the Precision Medicine Initiative Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the Director in March 2015. The group concluded its work in September 2015 with a detailed report. The report provided a framework for setting up the All of Us Research Program.
Precisionmedicine:
- Is based on you as an individual
- Takes into account your environment (where you live), lifestyle (what you do), and your family health history and genetic makeup
- Gives health care providers the information they need to make customized recommendations for people of different backgrounds, ages, and regions
- Helps you get better information about how to be healthier • Reduces health care costs by matching the right person with the right treatment the first time
All of Us is part of a new era in which researchers, health care providers, technology experts, community partners, and the public work together to develop individualized health care. Learn more about who is involved.
A DELAWARE PERSPECTIVE
The All of Us research program is transformative as it will generate insightful data encompassing the diversity that comprises our population. I am particularly proud of Tim Gibbs and his colleagues at the Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association for their important contribution to this program, particularly because it influences how we develop CRISPR-directed gene editing for human therapy. This breakthrough technology relies heavily on the underlying DNA sequence of an individual genome for effective action so having genomic databases that truly reflect that diversity will help us design tools not for a privileged few, but for…All of Us. The research objective of this wonderful program aligns perfectly with the ChristianaCare mission of a patient-first approach to therapeutic gene editing for cancer and infectious diseases.
Eric B. Kmiec, Ph.D.
Director, Gene Editing Institute Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute ChristianaCare
TAKE ACTION – OUR GOAL
The goal of the Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association is to see Delaware’s residents, in all of our diversity, well represented in the All of Us Research Program. During this COVID-19 pandemic the importance of programs like All of Us is highlighted more than ever.
Timothy E. Gibbs, MPH
Executive Director Delaware Academy of Medicine Delaware Public Health Association
Click here to join!
https://participant.joinallofus.org/#/register
A STATEMENT FROM THE NIH – ALL OF US COVID-19 RESPONSE
The All of Us Research Program is dedicated to better health, both in the future and today. We have all watched the increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the U.S. We believe it is important to act in the best interest for our participants, their families, and the All of Us team to protect their health.
To this end, we’re pausing all in-person All of Us appointments and events. We anticipate that this pause will last for at least one month. We will continually assess and make decisions about whether this pause will extend.
It is vital at this moment that individuals, whether they feel sick or healthy, distance themselves from others to help slow the exposure and spread of this virus. In addition, postponing these appointments will help reduce the number of non-essential visits to clinics and other health care providers. We must make sure our health care providers are free to see sick patients first. We’ll continue tracking this situation and will share more updates as needed.
This pause impacts only in-person activities, which include:
- Clinic appointments to provide physical measurements and donation of biosamples (blood, urine, and/or saliva)
- Community events, including All of Us Journey tour stops
If you have a clinic appointment scheduled, your local enrollment partner will contact you to reschedule.
People can still sign up and take part in the program online at JoinAllofUs.org. Existing participants can also sign in to their accounts and answer survey questions.
In times like this, health research feels especially important. Together, we can help make a difference in speeding up research and improving the health of our communities.
Please take care of yourselves and your neighbors. For updates on COVID-19 and tips on staying safe, please visit coronavirus.gov.
With thanks,
Josh Denny, M.D., M.S.
Chief Executive Officer All of Us Research Program